The powerful tools developed in Drosophila and C. elegans can be used to identify and characterize genes involved in cellular proliferation, and potentially in human cancer. The objective of Core B (Genetics) is to make these tools readily available to investigators in this P01, providing support for laboratories with established expertise, as well as those that may not routinely use one of these model systems. The core will support the generation and maintenance of mutant and transgenic strains in both C. elegans and Drosophila. Functional properties of novel genes will be studied using reverse genetic techniques, such as RNAi in both species and the identification of deletion alleles in C. elegans. Microarray expression analysis will be provided for Drosophila. The core will provide confocal microscope facilities to study expression and subcellular localization of gene products for Drosophila, C. elegans, as well as mammalian systems. The Genetics Core brings resources and technical expertise in two model systems into a single administrative facility so as to benefit from their evident synergy and maximize the allocation of resources to benefit P01 investigators. The core is under the direction of Dr. Artavanis-Tsakonas, an authority on Drosophila genetics and developmental biology, with Dr. Hart, an expert in signaling in C. Elegans, serving as Co-Director.